Pesto Pasta with Meatballs – a quick and easy dinner recipe with a creamy pesto sauce, pasta, a few meatballs, and plenty of cheese! It’s fantastic for weeknights.
I can’t believe that summer is almost over, and it is time to think about back to school. I am not sure how it went by so quickly!
We had a busy summer, so I am sure that is part of the reason. It will actually be nice to have a routine again once school starts.
Any time of year quick and easy dinners are a must. Life is just so hectic, and I don’t want to rely on take out or have pizza delivered every night. So, recipes like this pesto pasta are great to have in your arsenal.
Or One Pan Cheesy Sausage Pasta is great when you don’t even have time to do the dishes afterwards.
This pesto pasta uses a jar of pesto and precooked meatballs. So even if you aren’t a master chef, you can make this for your family, and they will be full and happy.
I actually made this recipe last spring for my cooking club. They raved about it.
I said it wasn’t really a recipe, just added a few things to the pan and that was it. I don’t think anyone was really happy that I just eye balled things and didn’t measure.
So I made it again for my family and now I have a real recipe to share. I am a sucker for all things pesto.
If we go out to a restaurant and pesto is on the menu, I order it. Italian Turkey Cutlets are one of my favorite things to make.
My husband on the other hand, isn’t a big fan. Which is why I made it into a creamy pesto.
I just added a little cream (you can use half and half or milk) to thin it out, and not make it such an intense pesto flavor. Plus I added cheese.
You can use any meatballs you like. Fresh meatballs, frozen meatballs, meatballs from the refrigerated section. Really, anything goes. (Speaking of, be sure you know how to cook frozen meatballs if you go that route!)
I have tried it with the packaged ones and the frozen ones, and both work really well. The frozen ones just need a little more time to cook.
Once the meatballs are cooked, you add in the pesto, cream, cooked pasta and let some cheese melt on top.
A super easy dinner you can make any night of the week. Serve with a salad or maybe even some garlic bread and you have a great dinner. Plus the leftovers are perfect to take to work the next day.
Are you tired of the dinner routine?
Stuck in a rut or looking for fun new recipes to try?
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Pesto Pasta with Meatballs Recipe
Pesto Pasta with Meatballs – a quick and easy dinner recipe with a creamy pesto sauce, pasta, a few meatballs, and plenty of cheese! It’s fantastic for weeknights.
Ingredients
- 1 12 ounce box Short Cut Pasta
- 1 pound bag Precooked Meatballs
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 7 ounce jar Pesto
- 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
- 1 cup Mozzarella Cheese shredded
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook pasta according to the package directions.
- Cook meatballs until they are thawed completely through (if using frozen) and you can cut them in half.
- In a large skillet heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add the meatballs that are cut in half.
- Cook for 5-10 minutes until they are cooked though. Remove from heat and stir in the pesto and cream. Add cooked pasta, and mix until everything is well combined.
- Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top.
- Cover and place back on the heat, just until the cheese is melted. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Calories: 860kcalCarbohydrates: 76gProtein: 29gFat: 44gSaturated Fat: 16gSodium: 1065mgFiber: 6g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!